Akron is major player in soccer

To Ohio State football fans, Akron is the unfortunate team that comes to Columbus every so often for a beat-down in exchange for a sizable check.

To Ohio State football fans, Akron is the unfortunate team that comes to Columbus every so often for a beat-down in exchange for a sizable check.

In college athletics, the Zips are a mid-major, and such teams usually can't match up with the big boys.

When it comes to men's soccer, though, Akron rules.

The Zips are ranked No.1 in the nation as they prepare to face the Buckeyes tonight in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Ohio State, ranked 23 {+r}{+d} and with six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2007, is no slouch. But the Buckeyes are the underdogs tonight.

Last year, Akron was ranked No.1 the final nine weeks of the season before losing to Virginia in the national championship game on penalty kicks. The Zips set an NCAA Division I record for shutouts with 19 and tied a record for consecutive victories with 23.

This is not a sudden rise. The Zips have played in the NCAA Tournament eight times since 2000 and 24 times in all.

"You see this happening a little bit nationally in soccer with mid-majors because all it takes is someone in the administration to get behind an Olympic sport," fourth-year Akron coach Caleb Porter said. "Football can be a different story. Sometimes it can be impossible to build without being in a BCS conference."

Porter pointed out that Saint Louis has won 10 men's soccer championships and that other mid-majors such as St. John's, Cal-Santa Barbara and Florida International recently won championships or played in title games.

Defender Chad Barson, a sophomore from Olentangy, signed with Akron over Indiana, a team that won national championships in 2003 and '04.

"The Mid-American Conference isn't as big a name as the SEC or ACC or Big Ten, but Akron is one of the better teams in the eyes of soccer people," Barson said. "We can compete against teams from the so-called power conferences. We've proven that. We're starting to emerge. We're getting even better."

Crowds of approximately 4,000 are common at Akron home games. The athletic department brought in portable bleachers for the Tulsa game and set team-record crowd of 4,744 in Jackson Field.

The student section is known as the "AK Rowdies," and busloads are expected for tonight's game.

"The Crew has its Hudson Street Hooligans, and we have the AK Rowdies," said Eric Stevenson, a redshirt freshman midfielder from Worthington Christian. "Every home game is amazing. We are supported as well as any team in the country."

The key to Akron's recent success has been the type of player Porter has recruited

"We look for the most talented kids in the country, but also players who have character and have no baggage," he said. "We think we have one of the best soccer environments in the country. Look, Akron isn't a party school. We attract the soccer junkie and strong student. They don't come here to mess around."